I bought a single payment annuity from a Swiss insurance company. This, in contrast to a US issued annuity, is subject to a 1% federal excise tax. And that is paid on some form or other, and that form requires an EIN. I assumed I could just put my SSN in there, but the IRS rejected it. That is why I got my own EIN. This would have been in 1996, if I remember correctly.

Right. Nothing wrong with that. Only certain returns can be processed with an SSN, and excise tax isn't one of them.

I do not know what MSU is.

Making stuff up. Here's an example:

So I make up a phony name for a non-existent business, sent it to the IRS who issued me an EIN.

That's the part I was commenting on as unnecessary. You could have just put your name and address, no business name, indicated no employees and that you were an individual.

Announcements

Disclaimer:
In accordance with IRS Circular 230, you cannot use the contents of any post on The Motley Fool's message boards to avoid tax-related penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or applicable state or local tax law provisions.

When Life Gives You Lemons
We all have had hardships and made poor decisions. The important thing is how we respond and grow. Read the story of a Fool who started from nothing, and looks to gain everything.

Work for Fools?
Winner of the Washingtonian great places to work, and Glassdoor #1 Company to Work For 2015! Have access to all of TMF's online and email products for FREE, and be paid for your contributions to TMF! Click the link and start your Fool career.